Vietnamese fashion designer goes global

October 6, 2006

Prominent designer Vo Viet Chung is set to unveil his collection in Australia and New Zealand from Oct. 25 to Nov. 5, following up on his success at the Festival of Silk in Shanghai, China last month.

Thirty-six-year-old Chung plans to bring 200 ao dai (Vietnamese women’s traditional dress) designed in silk and Lanh My A (a rare traditional fabric) – the cornerstone of his “Dreaming of Asia” shows in Australia and New Zealand over the next two weeks.

He said the collection features not only high fashion, but casual dress as well, diversified in size range for women of all ages.

“I want to show Vietnamese cultural beauty throughout different periods,” Chung added.

Last month, he attended one of the biggest fashion shows of the year in Shanghai, China, The Festival of Silk, broadcast live on Fashion TV and CNN.

He was chosen among the top 5 of 30 fashion competing designers.

At the festival, Chung presented the collection “Ms Ba from Vietnam”, with 15 designs based on ao dai and ao ba ba (the stereotypical black silk pyjamas – worn by both men and women in the southern countryside, particularly the Mekong Delta) made of the Lanh My A fabric.

The designs include hand embroidered patterns of tradition symbols of the pagoda, bohdi and lotus leaves.

“Our embroiderers spent a full six months to complete just 15 designs,” he said.

Two weeks after his shows in Australia and New Zealand, Chung will join the Singapore Fashion Week in Vietnam with 60 designs based on ao dai, ao ba ba and ao tu than – a four-flapped traditional dress often worn by Northern Vietnamese.

On July 2 of this year, Chung was the first-ever Viet designer to be awarded a UNESCO badge and certificate of merit for his contributions to the preservation of Vietnamese intangible cultural objects.